Expression of genes involved in biofilm formation in clinical isolates of Porphyromonas gingivalis

• Grant number: 07/07569-8
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: May 01, 2008
• End date: April 30, 2010
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry - Periodontology
• Principal Investigator: Maria Regina Lorenzetti Simionato
• Grantee: Maria Regina Lorenzetti Simionato
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Porphyromonas gingivalis is an important pathogen involved in severe manifestations of periodontal diseases. Although the primary ecological niche of P. gingivalis is the subgingival area, the initial colonization of the oral cavity by P. gingivalis involves attachment to early colonizers of supragingival dental plaque. Indeed the success of P. gingivalis oral colonization depends on the ability of this bacteria to form biofilms. The molecular basis of the construction of uni or multispecies biofilms by P. gingivalis, including the gene regulation involved in this process, is very important to be investigated. While most of the studies in this field have been performed with laboratory type strains, little else is known about the range of genes and their regulation in clinical isolates of P. gingivalis. These strains may present high variability in genetic loci that may reflect in polymorphisms in several genes including those involved in the colonization process. The aims of this project are to determine the genetic diversity of the clinical isolates of P. gingivalis, and to investigate in these strains the expression of selected genes that are shown by previous studies to be involved in biofilm formation. (AU)